Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus

Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Thamnophis
Species:	T. proximus
Subspecies:	T. p. rubrilineatus
Trinomial name
	Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus; Rossman, 1963

Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus, the redstripe ribbon snake, is a subspecies of the western ribbon snake, a garter snake endemic to the southern United States.

Geographic range[]

It is found in West Texas on the Edwards Plateau.^[1]

Description[]

This species has a distinctive red stripe down the center of the back, to which both the common name and the subspecific name refer.

Habitat and behavior[]

It is semiaquatic, spending most of its time on the edge of permanent bodies of water such as swamps, ponds, lakes, or slow-moving streams. It is fast-moving and an excellent swimmer.

Diet[]

Its primary diet is amphibians, such as the northern cricket frog (Acris crepitans), but it will also consume lizards and small rodents.

References[]

Species Thamnophis proximus at The Reptile Database

^ Conant, R. (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. Houghton Mifflin. Boston. xviii + 429 pp. (Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus, p. 166, Plate 23, Map 120.)